The men defended the Fortress from bandits that often passed through the forest looking for an easy target or trying to destroy the legend that was Malvrok. Not much was known of his past until he began building the Fortress, and what little was known, Malvrok ensured stayed under wraps.
Abner paused to watch the men train. Malvrok instructed his men on how best to block a downward cut. The boy dreamt of becoming a knight, using his own blade to cut down anyone that got in his way. He took off again like a startled deer after staring at the warriors.
Finally the sound of crashing waves from the shore faded and Abner knew he was nearing his objective. There was a shout from behind that made him turn back. Down an alley he’d just passed, three older boys were surrounding Lois. The blonde girl was on her back, trying to crawl away from her attackers. She turned and saw Abner. He caught the flash of hope in her eyes. Abner stared wide eyed, seeing her bruised face.
“Leave her alone!”
The three boys surrounding her looked up. Abner recognized them instantly. Julian, Bobby, and Samuel sneered at the boy several years younger than them. The basket dropped from Abner’s hand as they walked towards him.
“Get help!” Lois said.
“Well, if it isn’t Malvrok’s little boy. What did you say to us?” the big, black haired, Julian said.
Abner curled his hands into tiny fists, determined to stand defiant against the bullies. “I said leave her alone. What has she done to you?”
Julian stopped in front of Abner as Bobby and Samuel stepped around behind him. They glanced at Lois who was struggling to get back to her feet. “She didn’t pay us when we ordered her to. Are you going to pay us, Abner?” His open palm slapped Abner lightly, taunting the younger boy.
Abner bit his lip, anger growing inside him. Even in a one on one situation, he was hopelessly outmatched. The older boys were all bigger and stronger. There was no way out for him now. With all the strength he could muster, Abner flung his fist at Julian’s nose. The blow connected, jerking the boy’s head back. Pain ricocheted through Abner’s hand. Julian laughed before pushing him to the ground.
“Strip him down.”
Abner’s shirt was torn from his chest and punches rained down on every inch of his body. Lois’ screams for help were lost in the heavy thudding. The blows that felt like war hammers kept coming. Each one left him drained of energy as he lay writhing in the dirt. The last thing Abner remembered seeing was a fist flying straight for his forehead.
“Abner! Abner, can you hear me?” Malvrok said. “Hey, there we go, wake up, boy!”
Abner’s eyes fluttered open. He found his uncle standing over him in the exact spot he had fallen. Lois looked on over his shoulder, her bruised and beaten faced bandaged. Her eyes were full of concern for her friend. Beside him, Malvrok had a doctor’s kit and he pulled out salves and bandages.
“What happened?” Abner asked He tried to raise his head.
“Don’t move,” Malvrok said pushing the boy back down. “You were beaten pretty bad by three boys. Luckily, Torvak here found you.”
Torvak was the apprentice blacksmith at the Fortress in his early twenties, almost finished with his apprenticeship. He could have easily passed as a Highlander or Alilletian because of his enormous size and the amount of thick black hair that covered his face. “Hey, laddie, good to see you alive and kicking,” he said cheerfully with a thick accent that made him almost incomprehensible.
“Good to see you too, Torvak,” Abner said. “You too, Lois, I’m glad to see you’re okay.”
“I’ve been better,” she said. “Thank you for saving me.”
“Hold still,” Malvrok said slapping a cloth onto Abner’s forehead. A few seconds later, he removed it. “What the fuck just happened?”
“I don’t know,” Torvak said. “Do it again.”
The next cloth was placed on Abner’s bare chest and he looked down. He had been cut by a rock the boys threw at him as they made their escape. Within a few seconds, through the thin fabric of the bandage Abner felt a strange tingling sensation. He watched the wound disappear before his eyes.
“What just happened to me?” Abner asked.
“Your wounds shouldn’t have just vanished like that,” Malvrok said looking up at him. “What just happened makes you special. Can you stand?”
“Barely,” Abner said.
Lois rushed over to support him, throwing his arm over her shoulders. “I’ve got you, Ab,” she said looking into his eyes.
“Good, now I need you two to have a private word with me about your futures. Torvak, don’t you have a sword to be making in your near future?” Malvrok asked.
“Fine, I’ll bugger off then,” Torvak said, looking hurt.
“Thank you, my friend,” Malvrok said. “This is of upmost importance. If you two would follow me, please.”
Once they were inside his home, Malvrok invited the children to take a seat around his table. Talia was out again at the markets and the house was silent.
“I’d just like to apologize again. I should have seen something like this happening and I could have prevented it.” Malvrok rubbed his chin, looking at both apprentices with an expression of concern. “To be frank, I wish to take both of you on as apprentices.”
“Like blacksmith apprentices?” Lois asked. “My mother says I’m to be a crafter of some sort, like a potter I think.”
“No, I intend to train you two in the ways of war, if you would accept,” Malvrok said looking both children straight in the eye.
“War? What do you mean? Like with swords and knights?” Abner asked his eyes lighting up with joy.
“Precisely,” Malvrok said. “I want to train you two so that you can defend yourselves so that nothing like what happened today happens ever again.”
“Malvrok, what would my mother say?” Lois asked.
“If you accept, I will speak to her today and let you train with me. Abner, as far as I’m concerned you are my own son and have no choice in the matter. I’ve seen you watching us train on the field many times and as far as I can tell, you have all the great makings of a warrior,” Malvrok said. “What do you say?”
“Yes!” the children both responded with enthusiasm.
“Very well then,” Malvrok said. “As of today you are born sworn to me as apprentices and must do as I command at all times. Any breach of this oath and you will be cast out from my holdings. Am I understood?”
“Yes, Malvrok,” the children said.
“Good, now, Lois, you hurry home and tell your mother. I will be along later to explain everything. As for you, Abner, I have a gift for you if you would follow me.”
“Bye, Ab.” Lois waved as she walked outside.
Abner followed his new master to a small house only a stone’s throw away. It was a typical cottage for the Fortress, suitable for one or two people. Malvrok extended a key towards his apprentice.
“Open it, it’s all yours,” he said.
“Thank you, Mal,” Abner said, hugging the man around the waist.
“Don’t thank me for it yet. Everything you do now will need to be your own work. I will continue to feed you until I teach you to cook. Report to my door every morning just after dawn for breakfast and training. It is a tough life ahead of you, but if you work at it you will be extremely successful,” Malvrok said.
“Will I defend the Fortress or be a knight one day?” Abner asked.
“Maybe, maybe not,” Malvrok said. “You might even go on to greater things. There’s more to life than becoming a knight, you know? Now go inside and take a look around.”
“Thank you,” Abner said once again before unlocking the door and stepping inside.
The cottage was cozy enough, a fireplace in one corner of the main room, while a rug and armchair took up the center. Off to the side was a small bedroom with a closet and comfortable looking bed that Abner went to inspect. The closet was ajar, a glint of silver visible from inside. Curious, Abner outstretched his hand,
opening the door and scrambling back as a long sword clattered to the floor.
He picked it up, careful not to drop the heavy steel. He examined the edge, marveling at the beauty of it. Runes were engraved into the beautiful steel adding a unique finish. The hilt was far too big for him but with time, he would grow into the sword that stood as tall as he was. Abner raced back outside to show Malvrok his discovery but the man that had raised him had vanished.
Nine Years Later
26
A Heavy Arm
Abner sat up in bed, throwing the white bed sheets away from his half naked body. He stepped out, crossing to the closet that hadn’t changed in the last nine years. As he opened the door there was the loud hiss and crack of a crossbow. Abner dived backwards onto the bed, colliding with the wall as the bolt narrowly sailed past his feet. He recovered and surveyed his room for any possible traps that Malvrok had created for him.
Recently, the hidden crossbow had been a favorite of his uncle’s; testing his apprentice’s reflexes even during the times he was meant to be relaxed. From the time Abner was ten, Malvrok snuck into his house and planted devious traps. They ranged from swords dangling above his head to axes swinging at him as Abner opened a door. Somehow Malvrok was never around when the traps went off.
Abner moved to his closet once again, slowing opening it, checking around the edges looking for more weapons that might fire at him. As he reached for his training tunic, a loud bang resonated throughout the room, and thick black smoke erupted from the closet. Abner gagged and ducked away, opening the window so that it could spill outside. When the smoke cleared, he reached inside the closet to find small black pieces of shrapnel strewn throughout. Abner sighed, angry with his master. He donned his stinking tunic and pulled his sword down from the armor rack next to it.
The sword’s edge was still as razor sharp as it was nine years ago, and the rest of the blade was in immaculate condition. Once Abner had shown Malvrok the sword his uncle taught him the techniques to keep the sword functioning to its maximum potential by using a whetstone in order to keep the blade keen. Then he had taught the boy how to use it. The only thing Malvrok refused to do was answer where it had come from.
Abner slid the sword into its sheath on his belt, before heading out into the kitchen. He cooked himself a simple breakfast over the fire before moving outside into the Fortress. All around him people were beginning to stir, going about their daily chores. As he passed through the streets on the way to Malvrok’s house, Candace, a girl in her late teens, stepped outside. She smiled shyly at him. Abner returned with a friendly grin as he strode past.
Today he was the first to arrive at Malvrok’s house, which was unusual as Lois usually met up with him on the way there. Abner paced outside for several minutes before walking up the steps. Clutching his sword, he rapped heavily on the new glass door that had been replaced for the third time.
In the reflection of the glass, Abner saw Lois bounding towards him, trying not to appear late. Malvrok stirred and made for the door as Lois joined Abner’s side, her blonde hair swishing behind her in a long ponytail. Her eyes were similar to Abner’s green, and her porcelain skin glowed. Like Abner, she had developed the perfect figure of a warrior due to the years of rigorous training.
Lois preferred a two-handed broadsword compared to a standard hand and a half sword that Abner wielded. Over the years, Lois had become stronger and faster than most men she trained against, able to use the weapon in both offense and defense against even the most agile opponent.
Abner smiled at her as she dusted herself off, waiting for Malvrok to open the door.
“Good morning, my young apprentices.” Malvrok smiled at them, all too mischievously. “How did we find your traps today?”
“The smoke bomb was overkill,” Abner said. “This tunic will stink for a week.”
“And what do you think will happen when you’re out in the world with no chance to wash it? That some magical deity will come along and clean it for you? I’m just preparing you for the world, remember?”
“I was fine with the man you had inside my room trying to kill me,” Lois said. “To be perfectly honest with you, I did think it was a bit easy.”
“Where is he now?” Malvrok asked. He rolled his eyes.
“Tied up, locked inside my closet,” Lois said. “He attacked me, he asked for it.”
“Could you refrain from locking away my agents, Lois?” Malvrok shook his head. “I suppose someone will have to go get him.”
“Sorry, Mal!”
“It matters not. Now get to the field. You two are having a shield fight today,” Malvrok said. “Don’t even think about arguing.”
“Mal, you know I hate shields.” She stomped her foot on the ground.
“And what are you going to do when one is thrust into your hand and you’re told to fight to the death? Stand there and say I hate shields?” Malvrok mimicked Lois adopting a high-pitched voice for the last three words. Abner contained a laugh. “No, you’ll get your fucking head cut off. I haven’t wasted nine years of training for you to die. Now get your other sword out from the armory, sister. You’re going to need it.”
The apprentices donned the armor they needed for the bout. Since Abner had begun training, Malvrok had constructed a large armory at the far side of the field, just past the target dummies that men were already beginning to line up at under the watchful eye of Torvak. The giant blacksmith waved at Abner as they caught each other’s gaze.
Abner applied the last silver wrist guard to his traditional Sauriaan armor that sparkled in the morning sunlight. He stole a glance at Lois who was struggling with a steel coated leather boot, typical of the Renori Regiments. The armor did not detract from her slim, yet curvy figure and Abner caught himself staring. He dropped his head quickly, drilling a hole into the ground with his eyes.
“What were you looking at?” Lois asked cheekily knowing full well that he had been staring.
“Nothing,” Abner said quickly, trying to keep a straight face.
“I’m sure.” Lois laughed lightly. “Look, the spectators are already gathering.”
Abner looked up, spotting the small collection of girls gathered near Malvrok’s house. Each morning was the same until Malvrok yelled at them to clear off. Every girl inside the Fortress hoped to catch Abner’s eye in the way Lois had. His striking resemblance to Malvrok, both physically and mentally was what many wanted in an ideal partner.
“We’d better get going. He looks ready for us,” Lois said picking up her lighter square shield. “May the best one win."
“You know it’ll be me.” Abner picked up his heavy, yet effective round circle that was commonly used amongst the raiding parties of the Alilletians. He marched towards Malvrok in the center of the field.
“Ah, Lois, I remember why I like you using a shield,” Malvrok said pointing to his ensign of a flaming eagle that was emblazoned upon the shield. “It really looks good on you.”
“Thank you, Mal,” Lois said. She turned to face Abner.
“Right, you two know the rules. Take five paces back; on my mark the first one to drop their shield loses the bout. Tap swords please,” Malvrok said.
The apprentices drew their respective swords. Abner’s blade was longer by half a foot. Steel clanged together issuing a cheer from the on looking girls. The salute was a simple one that had been passed down to Malvrok from the Sauriaan Sword Lords who had been rumored to have trained him. Abner and Lois took five long strides back, sliding into their natural fighting stances, swords raised, resting on their shields.
“You may begin!” Malvrok said.
Abner stepped forward first, beginning to circle Lois. Both of the apprentice’s knew each other as well as they knew themselves. They moved like cats, placing one foot in front of the other as they weaved sideways, each waiting for the other to attack.
Malvrok watched them patiently, calling out things to correct when he spotted them. “Good, Abner, keep it steady. Loi
s, you might want to raise your guard slightly. There was a chance there, Ab, you need to start taking them with Lois.”
“Shut up,” Abner said. His attention was solely focused on Lois.
A split second later, Lois pounced forward, lashing out like a viper, closing the gap between them in an instant. Abner raised his shield, sliding her sword away before counterattacking, thrusting forward, aiming to hit her arm. Lois was fast, even in the heavy armor. She danced out of reach, laughing as she did so.
Abner struck out again, landing a simple overhand stroke onto the top of Lois’s shield, jarring his arm as the steel smashed together. She caught the blow, twisting her protector, knocking Abner’s sword away. The steel edge of her shield made it impossible for Abner to hack into. Lois struck with full force as Abner retreated, landing a blow in the dead center of the wooden shield, sending chunks of wood flying, neither object yielding to other.
“Excellent blow!” Malvrok said.
Abner put all his weight into the shield, pushing Lois away. She stumbled, the sword scrapping along the grass. Abner seized his chance, cutting low at her knees, forcing Lois to jump back. His blade scraped across her armored leg, causing no damage but opened him up to a counterattack. Lois jabbed, aiming for his head, forcing Abner to raise his shield. The sword punctured through the wood, the steel erupting through the other side, only inches from Abner’s eyes.
They rose together before Lois retracted the blade. Abner hacked at her leg, bashing steel on steel once more, bringing Lois to one leg. At his full height, Abner towered over her and swung his sword, determined to disable her. Lois caught his blade, deflecting it, her shield sweeping underneath him in the same movement.
The Toldar Series Box Set Page 18
